Commercial Size Ranges
Commercial buildings are available in a wide range of sizes. Width, length, eave height, and interior clearance are all customized to your program, equipment, and site. Use these ranges as a starting point.
Most-Requested Commercial Sizes
The configurations below cover the majority of commercial projects we quote. Every building is custom. Use these as a starting point and we'll tailor the design to your site.
Compact storefront or small office with efficient single-span framing.
Flexible commercial space suitable for retail, showroom, or multi-tenant build-out.
Mid-size commercial footprint with mezzanine potential and multiple entrances.
Large commercial development with space for multiple tenants or a flagship location.
Sizing your commercial building
Start with program, not footprint
Before you pick a width and length, list what goes inside: equipment, racking, vehicles, staff count, and future expansion. The internal program drives the building, not the other way around.
Width drives cost; length adds flexibility
Clear-span width above 80\' meaningfully increases primary frame cost. Adding length in 20-30\' bay increments is the most cost-effective way to grow square footage.
Eave height is about equipment, not aesthetics
Set eave height from the tallest object or rack plus clearance for lights, sprinklers, and crane runways. Every 4\' of added eave increases wall area and frame weight. Use our climatic data map to look up NBC 2020 loads for your site.
Plan for the future now
Designing a structure to be extended later is inexpensive at the engineering stage and expensive afterwards. If expansion is plausible within 10 years, we'll engineer the knockout end wall and foundation into the original design.